Riverside Land Conservancy is Awarded Accreditation by the Land Trust Alliance Commission

We are excited to announce that on August 5th we achieved first time accreditation from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance. Accreditation is a national mark of distinction showing that a land trust meets high standards for land conservation.

We are so proud to say that RLC is one of only 317 land trusts from across the U.S. that have been awarded accreditation since the fall of 2008. Each accredited land trust submits extensive documentation and undergoes a rigorous review. "Accreditation provides the public with an assurance that, at the time of accreditation, land trusts meet high standards for quality, and that the results of their conservation work are permanent," said Commission Executive Director Tammara Van Ryn.

RLC staff and Board of Directors first began preparing for accreditation in 2009. "Like all members of the land trust community, Riverside Land Conservancy shoulders a profound responsibility - to protect our natural landscapes into the future and to provide meaningful opportunities for our communites to connect with these special places. Accreditation provides us the firm foundation with which to provide this vibrant living legacy for the future," says Gail Egenes, RLC's Executive Director.

The Commission awards accreditation to land trusts that meet national standards for excellence, uphold the public trust and ensure that conservation efforts are permanent. Accreditation is not a one-time action; it fosters continuous improvement as land trust maintain their accredited status by applying for renewal every five years.

The accreditation seal recognizes land conservation organizations that meet national standards for excellence, uphold the public trust and ensure that conservation efforts are permanent.

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission awards the seal to community institutions that demonstrate the ability to protect important natural places and working lands forever. The Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance established in 2006, is governed by a volunteer board of diverse land conservation and nonprofit management experts from around the country. For more information please visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org

August 2015

The Conservation Spectrum, a Growing Southern California Population and RLC's Role

The Horizons Committee has done some great research about the facts and trends of California’s population that might surprise you. By 2050, California’s population will grow by 35%! That means the population will increase by 13 million people…that’s essentially the current population in metropolitan L.A. In fact, it is predicted that over 50% of the state’s population will reside in urban Southern California! For RLC to stay sustainable we must broaden our work so we can meaningfully reach and connect the growing communities we serve with the land we protect.

The Conservation Horizons Report suggests one way land trusts can better serve our diverse communities is by conserving and protecting open space across The Conservation Spectrum. The concept of The Conservation Spectrum supports the notion that for conservation to successfully serve all Californians, we need a variety of protected lands, from parks, gardens and green space in highly urbanized areas to working agricultural lands and to wilderness in our most remote areas. The Conservation Horizons report suggests the following recommendation that can help land trusts to collectively conserve lands across The Conservation Spectrum: Deepen-Don’t Change-Your Mission!

Taking this recommendation to heart and realizing the need in our community, RLC has applied for a grant to develop an Agricultural Mitigation Program for western Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. The conservation of important farmland is key in ensuring agricultural lands are kept in our region so people have access to healthy, locally grown food. Furthermore, many bird species, such as the burrowing owl, rely on agricultural lands for food and shelter. Before we can start conserving these vital lands in our area, we need to know where soils, water, and land use policies and practices exist that might promote continued agricultural uses into the future. The development of a working agricultural mitigation program will help to develop funding sources that can be used in conserving farmlands in our area. This is what RLC hopes to create.

Our friends at the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust is doing their part in The Conservation Spectrum by working to conserve green space in the highly urbanized Los Angeles area by converting abandoned lots into parks and community gardens for park poor communities. The Mojave Desert Land Trust, among other goals, seeks to acquire privately owned inholdings in Joshua Tree National Park to protect adjacent national park lands from threats brought by future development of these inholdings. We applaud the unique focus areas of these land trusts and look forward to seeing how our concerted efforts build a framework for open space protection in the greater southern California area. No piece of The Conservation Spectrum is more important than another, but together these pieces build a California landscape that provides heathy, interconnected communities for both people and wildlife. As the wise John Muir stated, “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.”

Over the next few months we will be sharing more information from the Conservation Horizons Report and information gathered by CCLT. Join us as we embark on our journey to apply the recommendations provided in the Report.

July 2015

California Council of Land Trusts - Conservation Horizons Report

The California Council of Land Trusts (for which RLC is a member of good standing) created the Conservation Horizons initiative over 18 months ago to ensure that land trusts remain an integral part in protecting the state’s important natural systems and connecting all Californians and their communities to them.

Did you know that California’s land trusts have conserved over 1.5 million acres of land? This is a great accomplishment and a great legacy to leave to future Californians, but our work as land trusts is not over. Land trusts have to be able to continue to care for and protect these lands, which may become difficult as people are losing connection with the outdoors. Furthermore, many of our conserved lands are not readily accessible to most Californians (95% of Californians live in urban areas or urban clusters), nor do they provide the range of outdoor experiences may Californians seek.

The California Council of Land Trusts (CCLT) recently prepared their final Conservation Horizons Report which provides recommendations land trusts like RLC can take to refocus our efforts toward protecting our conservation lands and connecting these lands to the California communities we serve. Over the next few months we will be sharing information from the Conservation Horizons Report and information gathered by the Conservation Horizons Committee. The information provided by CCLT is timely as RLC is actively engaged in strategic planning for our organization. Please check back for future updates.

June 2015

The Santa Ana River Trust is Now a Dedicated RLC Program!

We are excited to announce that as of January 2015, the Santa Ana River Trust has officially become integrated as a program of the Riverside Land Conservancy.The Santa Ana River Trust was established in 2011 under the fiscal sponsorship of the Riverside Land Conservancy to help bring people back outdoors to enjoy the amazing-ness that is the Santa Ana River.With combined forces, we look forward to developing projects that beautify the Santa Ana River and surrounding green spaces, increase usage of the Santa Ana River Trail, and engage the community to inspire protection of the River for future generations.

Accreditation

Accreditation provides public recognition of land trusts that are engaged in the long-term protection of the land in the public interest. It increases public awareness of, and confidence in, land trusts and land conservation. The Commission conducts an extensive review of the application and grants accreditation to land trusts that meet the practices.

You Can Provide Comments:

As part of this process, we ask you to consider sending comments on RLC, its work, and its practices to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. Comments must relate to how RLC complies with identified national quality standards that address the ethical and technical operation of a land trust. For the full list of standards see http://www.landtrustaccreditation.org/tips-and-tools/indicator-practices

To learn more about the Accreditation program and to submit a comment visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org or email your comments to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Comments may also be faxed or mailed to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, Attn: Public Comments: (fax) 518-587-3183; (mail) 112 Spring Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. Comments on RLC's application will be most useful by November 23, 2014

Totally Mt. Rubidoux

Totally Mt. Rubidoux - a collaborative effort of the Riverside Land Conservancy, the Friends of Mt. Rubdioux, and the Mission Inn Foundation and Museum to create a community campaign to purchase and manage the peak of Mt. Rubidoux for the residents of Riverside. Riverside Land Conservancy and Totally Mt. Rubidoux successfully purchased 0.43 acres at the peak of Mt. Rubidoux on April 11 from the City of Riverside. Thanks to the community for supporting these efforts.

Riparian Woodland

The Riverside Land Conservancy purchased 120 acres of mixed chapparal, oak woodland and riparian woodland property in southwest Riverside County on June 22, 2012. Surrounded on three sides by the Agua Tibia Wilderness in the Cleveland National Forest, the property includes a significant stretch of Dripping Springs Creek. Partners in the acquisition include the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board and USMC Camp Pendleton.